Jean-Jacques Dortous De Mairan (Nov 26, 1678 - Feb 20, 1771)
Born in Beziers as a lower nobleman, de Mairan attended collage at Toulouse,
with main interest in ancient Greek language. He went to Paris in 1698 to
study physics and math, and was made a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences
in 1718 as Associate in the department of Geometry.
In 1740 he became Associate Secretary of the academy, and was elected to the
Academy Francaise in 1743. Soon after, he was appointed as associate
editor of a famous scientific periodical, the Journal des Scavans.
De Mairan's scientific work includes contributions to the theory of heat,
observations of meteorological phenomena, and theoretical work on the orbital
motion and rotation of the Moon.
He mentioned his notion of a small nebulosity around a star closely north of
the Orion Nebula in his best known work,
Traite physique and historique de l'Aurore Boreale
(Physical and Historic Tract of the Aurora Borealis), published 1733 in Paris
and reprinted in the Journal des Scavans in 1754.
This nebula was later cataloged as "M43"
by Charles Messier.
De Mairan died of pneumonia in Paris on February 20, 1771.
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